Blurring the Line
by Gitana del Sol
Summary: Andromeda is supposed to be on the "good side" and Narcissa on the "bad side". but what does it matter what side you are on? war is war; Death takes without prejudice. parallels between the wife of an Order member and the wife of a Death Eater. one-shot.


**2 separate dribbles that i have put together to make a drabble to demonstrate how alike Andromeda and Narcissa are in terms of their position. i identify more with Narcissa so her section (the second "half") is significantly longer than Andromeda's section (the first "half"). please let me know if i should lengthen Andromeda's to really grasp the full affect.**

**both are set during the second war but at different times. Andromeda's probably occurs fall of 1997, before Ted runs off, while Narcissa's probably occurs summer or winter of 1997.**

**JKR owns these fabulous characters and their stories. enjoy!**

* * *

She was left behind. Again. In that empty house.

The bowls were still on the table, exactly how they had left them, one still half-way filled, one still with a spoon dipped into its contents. Remus Lupin – the werewolf, her cousin's loyal friend, her son-in-law – had rushed into the room, bearing grim news.

They had to leave. Now.

Clanking of spoons, scraping of chairs, a pause as Ted kissed her on the brow ("Sorry, darlin',"). Order business. It was always Order business. She was sick of order business. But she said nothing. They knew her opinions without having to ask. She knew they would not change if she did. So she said nothing, just nodded dumbly to that mode of explanation: Order business.

A thousand questions; a million worries.

Silence gripped the house as the group of three turned to leave. Sorrow clamped its clammy hand around the hearth as they locked the door behind them with a resounding _click_. Closing the door, they walked away from home, from safety, from her. All of this to fight a war – a war they didn't understand.

_Please. Please bring them back to me._

She sat by the window, staring out at the bleak darkness. Muggles believed that stars could grant wishes. She knew this because he had shown her all the fairytales and bedtime stories he had grown up with. Stars couldn't grant wishes, of course. She knew that; _she_ hadn't been raised by Muggles. But she had nothing else to hold onto, nothing left to lose. So she turned her eyes upward. She searched for a star to wish upon but the night, too, had given up. The night wore on without a single twinkle of hope. So she wished upon something else – anything else – instead.

_Please. Please come back to me._

Death surrounded her. Despair choked her. Again she wondered what side she was on.

OoO oOo OoO

She was left behind. Again. In that empty house.

Somehow she had found the strength to clear up the table. Dinner was over, even though the bowls were still half full. As one they had cringed. As one they had jerked their left arm. As one they had risen from their seats, stony masks of cool indifference falling into place, as if it didn't really hurt, as if it didn't really matter. But their masks were cracking.

Were they trying to convince her or themselves?

She had taken to cooking since the absence of their house elf; today had been sweet potato and pumpkin soup, with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled over each serving. But it didn't matter; none of it ever mattered. It all tasted the same, spiked with a fear so potent it left a lasting metallic after-taste.

Fingers grazed over her arm, a silent apology, and she glanced up to meet Lucius's dull grey eyes. No kiss, no words. He was too ashamed of himself. Years ago he would have; years ago he _did_.

She wished he would.

She fought back a wail of despair as the group of three trudged out of the dining hall. She fought back the wave of tears that was threatening to drown her as she heard the soft thud of the entrance door falling back into its hold. They had walked out that door with heads high, leaving a house that was no longer home, leaving a love that was under attack, leaving her. All to fight a war – a war they no longer wanted.

_Please. Please bring them back to me._

She sat by the window, gazing out at the front grounds of the manor. She shuddered, recalling the guests that had been dragged in, dressed in gowns of blood and jewels of bruises, welcomed into their rooms of isolated darkness with hospitality she would not have dared bestow upon any creature. She closed her eyes against the white faces and unseeing eyes, wishing she could close her ears against the shrieks of agony. She hoped that this was all a dream; she longed for this to just be one of her nightmares. When she woke up in the dead of night, holding back a scream and bile, she wanted to be able to crawl into a bigger bed and be rocked and shushed because no, no, no honey, it's just a dream, all just a bad dream. But it wasn't; it was reality.

_Please. Please come back to me._

Death surrounded her. Despair choked her. Again she wondered what side she was on.

* * *

**so what do you think? i might end up adding this to my multi-chapter fic on the Black sisters, "Sisters Forever" but because the timing is a bit different than how that one is organized it might not.**

**just for clarification, Andromeda's 3 are Ted Tonks (hubby), Nymphadora Lupin (daughter), and [as a sort of 'you-have-to'] Remus Lupin (son-in-law). Narcissa's 3 are Lucius Malfoy (hubby), Draco Malfoy (son), and [as a sort of 'you-have-to'] Bellatrix Lestrange (sister).**

**please review!**


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